A Clean Audit And School Programs In The Village
by Alex Brooks
Alan Walthrop of the District’s accounting firm Bonadio & Co., LLP gave a short presentation about the External Audit recently completed by himself and his firm. He said analysis of the District’s financial statements resulted in an “unmodified opinion,” which in the peculiar language of auditors is the highest level of praise. No deficencies were identified in the District’s financial controls. Walthrop continued with more of the peculiar praise given by auditors: “no material weakness was found in internal controls, and no instances were found of non-complying materials.”
An audit of federally funded programs (primarily about the free/reduced price lunch program) did find one internal deficiency with qualification of a student in the free/reduced lunch program – and a corrective action plan was filed with State SED in response.
Walthrop said the District’s unassigned fund balance was $931,000, which is exactly the 4% maximum allowed by NYS rules. The total fund balance was $4 million.
HFCS Renting Space
at Community Center
The Hoosick Falls District is renting the lower level of the Town of Hoosick Community Center for this school year. The Board approved an agreement with the Town of Hoosick Community Center, Inc. to rent the space through August 31, 2020 for an annual fee of $35,000.
Superintendent Patrick Dailey said after efforts last spring to secure space at the former St Mary’s Academy building did not work out, he had discussions with folks from the Community Center and they were able to work out a mutually beneficial arrangement. Improvements had to be made to the space to meet the school’s needs and its statutory requirements. The largest of these was making the space handicapped accessible. At the time of the School board meeting on September 19, work to get the space ready was just being completed – furniture recently delivered, electronic and communications equipment work being completed, and the last of the renovations being completed.
Dailey said the space will house the eight students in the District’s Restore U program in the morning, and in the afternoon will have the six students in the TASC Program (GED program) preparing to take the high school equivalency test to get their high school diploma. Dailey said since most of the Community Center’s programs are after school or in the evening, there is very little conflict between its existing program and the HFCS programs that are now occupying a part of the building during the school day.
Capital Project Update
Detailed plans for Phase 1 of the District’s Capital Project were submitted to the State Education Department (SED) for approval in the first week of September, and SED review is expected to be completed around the first of November. This will be good timing for getting bid specifications ready in time to have contractors start the work next summer. The first phase of the work is focused specifically on boiler replacement and some asbestos abatement in the boiler room that has to be done in order to replace the boilers. John Helft said he is praying that nothing catastrophic happens to the existing boilers during this last heating season that they are in service. They are very old and had some breakdowns last winter.
Detailed design of the rest of the Capital Project is happening now and will continue through the winter and early spring. District Business Administrator Emily Sanders said the goal is to submit completed plans to SED for everything by May so that all the work can be scheduled during the summers of 2021 and 2022.
Equine Therapy Program Ramping Up
The Board approved at this meeting all the elements of the Equine Therapy program for this school year. The main part of it is an agreement with Higher Ground Farm to be the main site of the program for $1,600 per week for a maximum of 16 hours per week, for about 32 weeks during the school year. The Board also approved an agreement with Honey Badger Farm to provide equine-based educational program services at $80 per hour and horse time at $50 per hour, and an agreement with Sara Diane Nolan to provide “equine assisted psychotherapy and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Processing) services during this school year at a rate of $125 per hour. EMDR is a new therapy technique used in conjunction with equine therapy.
Superintendent Dailey said this program now has about ten students involved in it, as in previous years, but he expects it to be “ramping up” this year and that number is likely to increase.
New Vaccine Law
A new law which no longer allows exemptions from the required vaccines has the administration scrambling to make sure that all students have been given the required vaccinations. The day of this meeting was the last day that unvaccinated students could attend school.
Dailey said about five or six kids in each building did not have vaccines at the time of the meeting, and would not be able to come to school. In the following week, the District was able to arrange vaccinations for most of those students, and is working out the last few as of press time. Dailey said there were some parents who were reluctant to vaccinate their children, but none who refused, so the District does not have any impasse with parents who are dead-set against vaccinations.
Costa Rica Trip
Deb Mabey gave the Board a presentation about the high school trip to Costa Rica being planned for the spring of 2021. She said if students sign up for the trip in the next month, there is a slightly better price. Right now the cost of the trip is $2,600, and after the early sign up deadline passes it will be about $150 more. She said the company which organizes the trip has financing and also scholarships for low-income parents, but she emphasized that there is a limited amount of scholarship money, and those who sign up early and apply for scholarship funding early have the best chance of getting financial assistance. The Board approved the trip, and planning and fund-raising activities for it will continue.